Wednesday, 8 September 2010

Michael Maier had a sex change several years ago and became a woman. She is now suing the city of Jacksonville, claiming she was denied needed hormone treatment while in jail.

"I was placed into a solitary confinement cell," Maier said. "Not given any medication because I'm a post-op transgendered person."

Maier was arrested on charges of driving without a license and resisting arrest without violence. She said she had a valid driver license at the time and the State of Florida wrongly canceled it. Documents from the state show the Department of Motor Vehicles admitted Maier was not supposed to have lost her license.

Solitary Confinement - even though, because she's post-op, she's anatomically female. And arrested for a crime she should never have been charged with - then held for five days rather than a few hours, as with "normal" detainees.

She has been representing herself in the lawsuit so far and on Sunday was still looking for a lawyer.

A Trans woman in Jacksonville, Florida in 2010 has as much chance of finding a lawyer to accept the case as an African American woman would have in 1910. Oh yes, and it's Michele.

I started feeling like my blood sugar was a little low while I was going through the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel. I continued driving but missed my exit at Granby Street. I continued until I reached Interstate 264 and was going westbound on I - 264 towards downtown Norfolk. I had evidently begun to drive erratically and started feeling like I wasn’t able to drive so I pulled over on the shoulder.

As anyone with low blood sugar level should do.

Someone else evidently called the authorities to report my erratic driving. There may have been more than one police car that responded; I am not sure. I was sitting in my car with my window down with the truck still running. Two police officers approached the car on the driver's side. Officer Glaubke asked if I had been drinking and my response was that I had not been drinking. I told him I am diabetic and my blood sugar was low. I needed something to eat.

He asked for my driver’s license and I gave it to him. Office Glaubke asked me to shut off the engine, which I did and left the keys in the ignition. He then opened the door and took the keys....I told the paramedics I was diabetic. My blood sugar was low. The paramedics tested my blood sugar level. They told me it was 44, which is dangerously low.

Officer Glaubke told me I could go to the hospital, have someone pick me up or I could go to jail. I told them I did not want to go to the hospital. I called my wife at 8:05 PM to come after the truck and me. The other police officer did not come back near us. ...I was going to open my truck door to sit and wait. Officer Glaubke had his leg resting against the truck door so it pushed his leg a little when I tried to open the door. Office Glaubke said “You pushed me” and he came around and grabbed my arm spun me around and threw me up against the fender of the truck. I turned around and tried to get him to let go of me. He tripped me. I knew he was trying to get me to the ground on my stomach where my elbow was heavily scraped. I did not resist. He said, “Stay down you son of a bitch.”

After he handcuffed me, he rolled me over, had me bend my right leg and helped me get up.

I realized there was a Virginia State Trooper in his car there.

Officer Glaubke took me to the fire truck to put gauze on my injured elbow. At this point, the fire truck and paramedics left.

I sat down on the ground. Officer Glaubke said, “Give me a couple of minutes and we'll talk about this.” Officer Glaubke went back to his squad car. When he came back, he said, “You're going to jail!”

Officer Glaubke said he was going to have to search me. He asked me if I was legally a man or a woman. I told him I was still legally a man. He had me stand up and did a pat down search from armpits down and between my legs. He was standing behind me. He then puts me in the back of the police car. I complained that the handcuffs were too tight. His partner loosened the handcuffs and said, “Now don't you try anything stupid or I'll push your head right through that seat.”

Upon arriving at the jail, she endured further indignities.

Standing outside the emergency room's entrance, why would Norfolk Police Officer Glaubke tell Dawn's spouse and son that Dawn had hit a guard rail and damaged her truck when there is no damage to her truck and there were no guard rails at the location of the arrest according to Dawn?

Why was Dawn forced to remove her bra in front of three male Norfolk, Virginia Police Officers because it contained under wires?

Dawn has a damaged rotator cup in her left shoulder. She had to remove her shirt in order to remove her bra. As noted below, another woman in custody was allowed to remove her bra in a bathroom. Why the double standard? ...Dawn has been charged with a Class 6 Felony - § 18.2-10. For Class 6 felonies, a term of imprisonment of not less than one year nor more than five years, or in the discretion of the jury or the court trying the case without a jury, confinement in jail for not more than 12 months and a fine of not more than $2,500, either or both.

A 22 year old police officer being "assaulted" - put in fear of his physical safety - by a 66 year old woman, still groggy from low blood sugar level. Because she "pushed" him.

Now I am going to say something that may seem harsh but remember I am talking to you about objective reality – where the rubber meets the road. It is better to die than to offend God. It would have been better for you to have given your life to stay in obedience to God....For all you know, God may have given you peace and healed you. We can’t know that, but we can see some of the fruit of the course of action you did pursue.

For one thing you have greater physical health — but at the cost of being an example to others that physical health is worth breaking God’s law....I’m not trying to beat you up with all this.

Well let us all be thankful for small mercies! The author has just told someone she'd be better off dead, that prescribed necessary medical treatment that saved her life should have been refused because.... well, just because. Because she think its "sinful", though she can't say exactly why. Better a dead body than a "mutilated" one.

See a pattern here? That this kind of thing, and far worse, happens every day, in all parts of the world.

Now look at some of the comments on the first story:

The only proper thing to do with a transgender is....shoot both of 'em

I wonder if it went to the lawyer or the doctor first when it got out of jail. I think the COJ should sue it.

As a gay man, and a tax payer, I do not want a single tax dollar spent on someone suffering from "elective" surgery. I'm choosing to deny support, because you chose to have this procedure done. The debate of mental stability still remains, so I'm not sold on their "need" to change.\

If shim needed his hormone treatments shim shouldn't have landed himself in jail. His fault.

I find it disgusting that you want MY tax dollars to go for sexual deviants and perverts so HE could get hormone pills to be something HE is not and NEVER will be.

I am so embarrased to read these comments from people in Jacksonville, it is disgusting in this day and age that these nasty and outrageous comments are still spoken. It is horrible, how about comments on the story itself instead of stupid name calling, grow up and behave like a human being.

NO, what is disgusting is people like this feeling the need to "DESTROY" something GOD created, God DOES NOT make mistakes. Then you having the "nerve" to defend IT! SO STHU you blabbering idiot!!!

I'm sure she would have been accepted in general population... with the men.

Im With JSO and the City On this one!!!!!!!!!!!! This world was made up by GOD!!!!! with Men & Women. Not 1/2 & 1/2..JUST B/C YOU WANTED TO MAKE YOURSELF INTO A FREAK AND AN ABOMINATION Dont mean the world needs to "Cater" to you.

Why should we, the majority, allow a small minority of misfits to bully us?To avoid any confusion by those who are reading this comment, we will refer to Michael Maier as "it." When Michael Maier has it's day in court, I would like to see the judge dismiss the entire case and then throw it out the door (preferably without first opening the door). As for that transgendered freak's disatisfaction with the accomodations of the Duval County Jail, this situation could have been avoided by simply obeying the law.

And in a reply to a snarky comment of mine....

Like I said, I'll show you how much of a man I am and let you leave my place with a shiner

If you go to the site, you'll see that they removed the really bad stuff. The death threats and so on.

4 comments:

Here's something I overheard: "Gay men are faggots. Lesbians are dykes. So what do we call transsexuals?"

"It."

I mean, how can a slur be worse than that? "It" turns a human into an object. I wonder whether slaves, who were not considered human, were referred to with such a pronoun.

I also find it disheartening that someone would use "As a gay man" as cover when denying a trans person the treatment she needs. Although some gay men and lesbians have been very supportive, I have had some of my worst experiences with other gays and lesbians.

As a gay man I'm disgusted at the statement made by the commenter in the post. The homosexual community should know better and treat all people with dignity and respect. The quote from Mockingbird below seems apt:

"Cry about the simple hell people give other - without even thinking. Cry about the hell white people give colored folks, without even stopping to think that they're people, too?"

Why do people get so worked up over this issue? They start capitalising God, gibbering on about suffering and death.

I don't get it. I'm a Christian. There are only two logical positions: either this is a real medical issue, in which case, hey, biology is complex. Stuff happens. We do what is needed to keep people alive and comfortable.

If NOT, well, people make lousy choices, so what? Who hasn't ridden in a bus with an idolater, thief, etc.? Who hasn't BEEN one? Who isn't, when it comes down to it, still a sinner? Why make a big deal out of this? We're Christians. We are not of, or here for, the people who don't need help or love.

Personally, it seems to me that the former is pretty likely. But if it isn't, assuming as always I could be wrong, then why get fired up? Option two is right there, and you'd clearly be dealing with someone who is hurting, very badly.

As for "God does not make mistakes", see point one, biology. It's a fallen, messed-up world and plenty else is broken, why would gender be sacred?

About Me

Actually, I am a Rocket Scientist.
Also hormonally odd (my blood has 46xy chromosomes anyway) and for most of my life, I looked male, and lived as one, trying to be the best Man a Gal could be. Anyway, in May 2005 that started changing naturally for reasons still unclear, and I'm now Zoe, not Alan : happier and more relaxed not to have to pretend any more.
UPDATE - reason now identified as the 3BHSD form of CAH.

Reviews

This blog, written by a rocket scientist, is a fascinating collection of information, both personal and scientific, regarding intersex, transsexualism and related psychosocial and psychosexual issues....It is erudite and heartfelt. Just read the posts about the passport issue. You won't know whether to laugh, weep or crawl into a ball and rock gently in a corner - an amazing person.- David---The reason I so appreciate bright, perceptive people - as opposed to ideologues whose intelligence does little to illuminate - is that they manage to both instruct and learn with a certain grace. Among such rarities in the transblogosphere is Zoe, whose direct speech and clear humanity always make her worth reading, even if one doesn’t always agree with her every conclusion.- Val---The following is a request for permission to archive your A.E.Brain blog site which we have wanted to do for several years...The Library has traditionally collected items in print, but it is also committed to preserving electronic publications of lasting cultural value....Since (1996) we have been identifying online publications and archiving those that we consider have national significance....We would like to include A.E.Brain blog site in the PANDORA Archive...-Australian National Library